Stress free dough sheeting processor for batch systems

Abstract

An apparatus for producing a stress free sheet of dough having uniform height and width can be economically and conveniently used with a batch dough system. Individual dough batches are deposited into a retention hopper from which equal volumetric dough portions are sectioned by a pair of oppositely rotating co-acting cutters. Each cutter includes a number of blades which cooperate with corresponding blades on the opposing cutter to section the dough into portions. The dough portions are deposited onto an inclined conveyor positioned below the hopper so that a leading end of each dough portion overlaps a trailing end of the previous dough portion. A photo-electric detection device ascertains the trailing end of the previous dough portion and signals the cutters to section the next successive dough portion. The overlapping dough portions are then formed into a dough sheet having uniform height and width by a pressing roller and a combination of side guide wedges and side pressing rollers. A second photo-electric detection device is positioned to ascertain an accumulation of dough entering the pressing rollers in order to prevent an excessive accumulation of dough on the upstream side of the pressing rollers. This invention economically produces a stress free sheet of dough with a well developed gluten network from discrete batches of dough.

We claim: 
     
       1. An apparatus for producing a continuous sheet of dough, the apparatus comprising: a hopper containing a dough mass, said hopper having a bottom opening;   a pair of cooperating rotating cutters, each said cutter having a plurality of blades, said cutters rotating in opposite directions enabling co-acting blades on each of said cutters to section said dough mass into portions of dough, said dough portions being generally of equal volume amounts;   a conveyor for moving said dough portions, said conveyor being positioned below said cutters;   means for regulating said cutters in order to overlap a leading end of each dough portion atop a trailing end of a previous dough portion; and   means for flattening said overlapping dough portions into a generally uniform height continuous sheet of dough.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: means for removing each said dough portion from said cutters.   
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said removing means comprises a contoured edge on each said blade, said contoured edge being the leading edge of each said blade during the rotation of said cutters. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said contoured edge is generally triangular in cross-section. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said removing means comprises a spray jet nozzle for applying a deposit of oil onto said blades in order to lubricate said blades to assist each said dough portion in falling from said co-acting blades onto said conveyor. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said conveyor is inclined having a downstream end lower than an upstream end. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flattening means comprises a pressing roller positioned above and spaced from an upper surface of said conveyor, said pressing roller being rotationally driven to form said overlapping dough portions into said uniform height dough sheet. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising: means for adjusting the position of said pressing roller relative to said upper surface of said conveyor.   
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said pressing roller is rotationally driven independently from said conveyor. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 7 which further comprises dough sheet shaping means, said shaping means comprising a wedge positioned between said conveyor and said pressing roller on each lateral side of said pressing roller, said wedges forming said overlapping dough portions into a uniform width dough sheet. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim I further comprising: a side roller on each lateral side of said overlapping dough portions, said side rollers shaping said overlapping dough portions into a said uniform width dough sheet, each said side roller having a motor and a rotating drive shaft, said drive shaft being eccentrically mounted to a cylinder to thereby rotate said cylinder, and a sleeve retained around said cylinder, said sleeve contacting said dough sheet as said conveyor moves said dough sheet past said side roller, said sleeve capable of friction-free rotation about said cylinder.   
     
     
       12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cutters rotate intermittently dependent upon a signal from said regulating means. 
     
     
       13. An apparatus for producing a continuous sheet of dough, the apparatus comprising: a hopper containing a dough mass, said hopper having a bottom opening;   means for sectioning said dough mass into portions of dough, said sectioning means being positioned adjacent said bottom opening below said hopper;   a conveyor for moving said dough portions, said conveyor being positioned below said sectioning means;   a detection device being positioned to detect a trailing end of each said dough portion on said conveyor, said detection device preventing the sectioning of a subsequent dough portion until said trailing end has been detected to thereby overlap each said dough portion on said conveyor onto a previous dough portion; and   means for flattening said overlapping dough portions into a generally uniform height sheet of dough.   
     
     
       14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising: a second detection device positioned to detect an accumulation of said overlapped dough portions entering said flattening means, said second detection device thereby preventing the sectioning of subsequent dough portions until said accumulation of dough has passed through said shaping means.   
     
     
       15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said detection device is a photo-electric eye. 
     
     
       16. An apparatus for producing a continuous sheet of dough, the apparatus comprising: a hopper containing a dough mass, said hopper having a bottom opening;   means for sectioning said dough mass into portions of dough, said sectioning means being positioned adjacent said bottom opening below said hopper;   a conveyor for moving said dough portions, said conveyor being positioned below said cutters;   means for regulating said sectioning means in order to overlap a leading end of each dough portion atop a trailing end of a previous dough portion;   means for flattening said overlapping dough portions into a generally uniform height sheet of dough; and   said regulating means comprising a detection device positioned to detect an accumulation of overlapped dough portions entering said shaping means, said detection device thereby preventing the sectioning of subsequent dough portions until said accumulation of dough has passed through said shaping means.   
     
     
       17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said detection device is a photo-electric eye. 
     
     
       18. An apparatus for producing a continuous sheet of dough, the apparatus comprising: a hopper containing a dough mass, said hopper having a bottom opening;   a pair of oppositely rotating cutters positioned adjacent said bottom opening below said hopper, said cutters having a plurality of blades, said blades on said cutters cooperating to section said dough mass into generally volumetrically equal dough portions;   a conveyor onto which said dough portions are serially deposited;   a first detection device for regulating said cutters so that a leading end of each said dough portion is overlapped onto a trailing end of a previous dough portion on said conveyor;   a pressing roller being rotationally driven independent of said conveyor, said pressing roller being spaced from a top surface of said conveyor and forming said overlapping dough portions into a generally uniform height continuous dough sheet;   a wedge positioned between said pressing roller and said conveyor upper surface on each lateral side of said overlapping dough portions, said wedges forming said overlapping dough portions into a generally uniform width dough sheet.   
     
     
       19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising: a spray jet nozzle directed toward said cutters, said nozzle spraying a deposit of oil onto said blades to assist said dough portions in separating from said blades and falling onto said conveyor.   
     
     
       20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said blades have a contoured edge, said contoured edge being the leading edge of each said blade during the rotation of said cutters, said contoured edge having a generally triangular cross-sectional profile.